Leeds United man left on the bench as Marcelo Bielsa sends Copa America hosts crashing out

Former Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa has guided Uruguay into the last eight of the 2024 Copa America after beating United States 1-0 and sending the hosts out of the tournament in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

A controversial second-half goal from Uruguay’s Mathías Olivera proved decisive as Bielsa’s side topped the group. The South American man appeared to be offside but the goal stood after a review by the video assistance referee - much to the USA’s frustration. The result means Bielsa now has 10 wins from 14 games in charge of Uruguay, with two draws and two losses, with just one of those defeats coming in a competitive game.

Former Leeds midfielders Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams played the entire game as Uruguay made it three wins from three in the group stage. Brenden Aaronson, who is returning to Elland Road after a loan spell with Union Berlin, spent the entire game on the bench. Bielsa was suspended for the fixture after CONMEBOL issued him with a ban after Uruguay entered the pitch late for the start of the second half in their 5-0 victory over Bolívia on Thursday.

It left his assistant, Pablo Quiroga to reflect on the game, as he said: "The match was very intense, very physical, with a lot of contact. I think both teams felt the wear and tear in the second half. We knew we were going to play a match with these characteristics, and we planned to face it with the players who have been playing regularly, taking into account that between now and the next match we have there are enough days to be able to recover.

"We faced an opponent in great need (of points), who went out to seek the match from the first moment. We also tried, but at first it was difficult for us to match the energy they put into it. But we got used to it and, from my point of view, the game went well at times, at times we had to go back to play. But in general it seems to me that the team did not lose its form, its style. But I insist, we were faced with an opponent in need, who is physically very strong and who also has very high-class players.”

The result has increased the pressure on United States head coach Gregg Berhalter as Panama finished second in Group C to clinch a spot in the quarte-finals. He reflected: "Just to see the guys' faces in the locker room and to see the emotion of the staff and players, we're bitterly disappointed with the results. We know we're capable of more, and in this tournament, we didn't show it. It's really as simple as that. You look at the stage that was set with the fans in this tournament, with the high level of competition in this tournament, and we should have done better. We'll do a review and figure out what went wrong and why it went wrong, but it's an empty feeling right now, for sure."